Keaton said that reflecting on the childhood causes of her bulimia in her autobiography Then Again helped her to understand why she struggled for so long.

"Writing about this now was just an opportunity for me to say, yeah, I'm number 25 of the thousands who went through this. It kind of demystifies the investment I made in it… No-one really cares. But it's me owning that experience," she revealed to USA Today.

The star continued: "It was a horrible time. It's grotesque and gluttonous. You've created this wall and your whole life implodes into the rituals and insanity of performing this act over and over... My mother did everything for me as a kid, from making the clothes I dreamed up to listening to my sad stories.

"My life was structured. So when I went off on my own, I didn't know how to handle it."

Discussing her recovery, Keaton credited former partner and collaborator Woody Allen with helping her get control of her life.

"Woody helped give me a structure in terms of how to manage life, so that even today I like a lot of activities so I won't get depressed," she revealed.